Bail

To reduce Indiana’s growing jail population, the state must enact reform to our cash bail system. Currently, the overreliance on cash bail by judges often leaves people languishing behind bars awaiting trial simply because they cannot afford their bail, not because they pose a risk to public safety. HB 1272 would have helped address this issue in two ways. First, it would have limited the circumstances in which a judge could require someone to pay cash bail as a condition for pre-trial release. Secondly it would have required that bail is set at the lowest amount needed to ensure the person appears at trial and to protect the community.